McGill teaching assistants could strike

1,600 McGill teaching assistants have voted in favour of an eight-week strike that could affect the end of the university semester.

They’re currently negotiating their collective agreement, but 87 per cent voted in favour of a strike if necessary.

“Today, union members are sending a clear message to the administration: if we have to go on strike, we’re ready to do so,” said teaching assistant Fanny Teissandier in a press release. “We didn’t make this choice lightly, but we feel it is our last resort in this bargaining. The ball is now in the employer’s court to ensure that we get the contract we deserve.”

The union has been bargaining since September for the renewal of their collective agreement and are demanding for a pay raise to offset the rising cost of living.

They also want to catch up with the average teaching assistant salaries within the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities, which includes the University of Toronto, Queen’s University, McMaster University and the University of British Columbia. 

The workers are also calling for the hours of contracts allotted to teaching assistants to be indexed to the number of students. 

The union is concerned that the recent decline of hours will affect the quality of training at McGill University.

“McGill prides itself on offering first-rate teaching. How can the University ensure quality teaching if it reduces the resources available to students, for instance by cutting the hours granted to teaching assistants to do their work,” said Christine Gauthier, Vice-President of the Fédération nationale des enseignantes et des enseignants du Québec CSN (FNEEQ–CSN) in a press release.

Vice-President of the Conseil central du Montréal Métropolitain CSN Chantal Ide added that the union can count on the CSN’s support for as long as it takes.

“Teaching assistants are graduate students. Improving their working conditions also means improving their research conditions.”